Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Obesity is the most important modifiable risk factor in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. Prevalence of diabetes is increasing in India, possibly due to a rise in obesity and changing lifestyles with nutrition transition. Body mass index (BMI) is positively and independently associated with morbidity and mortality from type II diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases. In Caucasian and Asian populations, a strong association has been depicted between BMI and mortality. Glucose homeostasis is usually tightly regulated and when individuals’ transition from normal glucose metabolism to prediabetes and diabetes, glycemic variability increases. Studies thus suggest that random blood sugar (RBS) elevations provide an early warning sign of glycemic dysregulation.

Aim: The main objective was to determine the correlation between BMI and RBS of patients in rural India.Materials and Methods 310 patients from age 30 to 85 years who visited our hospital in rural India from January 10.2021 to February 27.2021 were included in this study. Random blood glucose was estimated using the glucose oxidase method using venous sample. BMI was calculated using standard formula using patient`s weight in kilograms (kg) and height (m²). Using this, the patients were categorized as underweight (<18.5 kg/m²), normal or lean BMI (18.5–22.9 kg/m²), overweight (23.0 –24.9 kg/m²) and obese (≥25 kg/m²) based on the revised consensus guidelines for India. One way ANOVA, post hoc Tukey test and Pearson’s correlation test were used to analyse the data. Results Statistical analysis showed positive correlation between BMI and RBS. As BMI increased, there was rise in RBS with P = 0.001. Comparison of RBS with BMI using one way ANOVA test showed that the mean value of RBS in Obese individuals (165.92) is highest followed by overweight (143.36), normal or lean BMI (137.07) least in underweight individuals (124.34). This difference was statistically significant with a test value of 5.636 and p value of 0.001.

Conclusions: In this present study, BMI and RBS were positively correlated among the 310 subjects who participated in the study. Individuals who are overweight tend to have a detrimental and inactive lifestyle, which might also contribute to the development of adiposity, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia and other cardiovascular risk factors. Strategically, it is crucial to prevent prediabetes and diabetes by controlling risk factors, such as weight gain or excessive weight by promotion of regular physical activity and balanced diet.